“The desert wind whipping their faces, hundreds of Venezuelan migrants lugging heavy suitcases and overstuffed backpacks trudge along the road to the Colombian border town of Maicao beneath the blazing sun.”

“Venezuela’s refugee crisis is metastasizing. According to the United Nations, 5,000 Venezuelans have fled to Curacao, 20,000 to Aruba, 30,000 to Brazil, 40,000 to Trinidad and Tobago, and more than 600,000 to Colombia.”

“A favorable growth outlook offers Chile an opportunity to address its low productivity levels compared to other advanced economies, improve access to quality jobs and take steps to reduce its persistently high inequality, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said in a report published on Monday.”

“The man considered to be the largest arms dealers trafficking weapons into Brazil was arrested in Florida on Saturday, according to a Brazilian official at the Specialized Weapons, Ammunition and Explosive Police Department (DESARME).”

———

These are the top stories this moring, 6:00 a.m. on Feb 26th:

“President Trump’s refusal to publicly drop his demand that Mexico pay for a wall on its border with the United States has derailed tentative plans for President Enrique Peña Nieto to make his first visit to the Trump White House next month..”

“Despite Trudeau’s calls for unity, there are signs that the trade talks have strained relations between the United States and Canada, as the neighbors remain far apart on issues such as automotive manufacturing and trade dispute resolutions.”

“Brazil’s top prosecutor has obtained a Supreme Court order to lift the bank secrecy of several people and companies under investigation in a port corruption case that has implicated President Michel Temer.”

“The Trump administration is threatening to embargo Venezuelan oil, a potentially ruinous blow to the Saudi Arabia of South America. But here in the home of the world’s largest crude reserves, Venezuela is killing its largest industry all on its own.”